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	04 March 2005 MOVIE: MAN ON FIRE (2004). A bodyguard hired to protect an young American girl in Mexico City goes on a revenge killing spree after she is murdered by her kidnappers. Denzel, Denzel. So good. Such presence. He plays his role, as that of a reluctant ex-military special forces washout, with absolute confidence. The first half of the movie, in which he bonds with his astonishingly charming little charge (played by the soon-to-be-great Dakota Fanning) by coaching her for an upcoming swim meet, is solidly crafted and completely enjoyable. Then she gets kidnapped, and the whole thing falls apart. Denzel's character, having learned of the girl's death, undergoes an ugly transformation into a stone-faced, Terminator-style killer. He tracks down each link in the kidnapping ring and inflicts gruesomely creative deaths upon them (a timed explosive up the rectum of one, for instance). Things blow up in the background as he strolls stoically to the next victim, RPG launcher slung over one shoulder. At one point, he even murmurs, "Revenge is a dish best served cold." The only thing tying these two narrative worlds (one of tender redemption, the other starring a brutal anti-hero) is the film's jarring, maniacal camerawork, which seems to be a direct descendent of junk like Phone Booth, Natural Born Killers, or your garden-variety, extreme-zoom loving episode of CSI: Wherever. It even starts out with a frenzied (and educational) montage dramatizing Mexico City's rampant underground kidnapping market. Couple this drunken cinematography with overworked, animated (!) subtitles, and you're left with a fatiguing, million-dollar student work that feels like it was made by an After Effects newbie. Enough with the crappy movies! Time to see something good for a change. The starting block is my prison. It's the gunshot that will set me free.   Back to main 28 February 2005 PHOTO DIARY. Well, we did it. We fixed the XBox by, um, replacing its DVD drive altogether. The old one went straight into the trash and will later be devoured by a murderous crowd of seagulls. The results? One bubbly Nicki, happy to be back with her old friend, Knights of the Old Republic II.   Back to main PHOTO DIARY. As in, one that might challenge you to a duel upon encountering it.   Back to main Archives. 17 August 2003 — 24 August 2003 — 31 August 2003 — 07 September 2003 — 14 September 2003 — 02 November 2003 — 09 November 2003 — 16 November 2003 — 23 November 2003 — 30 November 2003 — 07 December 2003 — 01 February 2004 — 08 February 2004 — 15 February 2004 — 22 February 2004 — 29 February 2004 — 07 March 2004 — 14 March 2004 — 21 March 2004 — 28 March 2004 — 04 April 2004 — 11 April 2004 — 18 April 2004 — 25 April 2004 — 02 May 2004 — 09 May 2004 — 16 May 2004 — 23 May 2004 — 30 May 2004 — 06 June 2004 — 13 June 2004 — 20 June 2004 — 27 June 2004 — 04 July 2004 — 11 July 2004 — 18 July 2004 — 25 July 2004 — 01 August 2004 — 08 August 2004 — 15 August 2004 — 22 August 2004 — 29 August 2004 — 05 September 2004 — 12 September 2004 — 19 September 2004 — 26 September 2004 — 03 October 2004 — 10 October 2004 — 17 October 2004 — 24 October 2004 — 31 October 2004 — 07 November 2004 — 14 November 2004 — 21 November 2004 — 28 November 2004 — 05 December 2004 — 12 December 2004 — 19 December 2004 — 26 December 2004 — 02 January 2005 — 09 January 2005 — 23 January 2005 — 30 January 2005 — 06 February 2005 — 13 February 2005 — 20 February 2005 — 27 February 2005 — 13 March 2005 — 20 March 2005 — 27 March 2005 — 03 April 2005 — 10 April 2005 — 17 April 2005 — 24 April 2005 — 01 May 2005 — 08 May 2005 — 22 May 2005 — 29 May 2005 — 05 June 2005 — 12 June 2005 — 19 June 2005 — 26 June 2005 — 03 July 2005 — 10 July 2005 — 17 July 2005 — 24 July 2005 — 31 July 2005 — 07 August 2005 — 14 August 2005 — 28 August 2005 — 04 September 2005 — 25 September 2005 — 02 October 2005 — 09 October 2005 — 30 October 2005 — 06 November 2005 — 13 November 2005 — 20 November 2005 — 27 November 2005 — 04 December 2005 — 18 December 2005 — 01 January 2006 — 08 January 2006 — 15 January 2006 — 22 January 2006 — 05 February 2006 — 26 February 2006 — 12 March 2006 — 19 March 2006 — 26 March 2006 — 02 April 2006 — 16 April 2006 — 23 April 2006 — 30 April 2006 — 07 May 2006 — 14 May 2006 — 21 May 2006 — 04 June 2006 — 18 June 2006 — 25 June 2006 — 16 July 2006 — 23 July 2006 — 06 August 2006 — 13 August 2006 — 03 September 2006 — 17 September 2006 — 01 October 2006 —